Cornwall rink captures cashspiel
Steals in final three ends key for Lauren Ferguson foursome
The Lauren Ferguson team from the Cornwall Curling Club, playing with three while their third, Sydney Howatt, recovers from a motor vehicle accident, edged the MacKenzie Mitchell foursome from St. John’s, N.L., 8-7 recently to win the junior women’s division of the 26th Oak Island Junior Cashspiel at the Chester Curling Club.
A four-point second end and a steal of two in the third gave them a 6-1 lead after three ends, but the Mitchell team narrowed the gap with a triple in the fourth, and stole the last three ends.
Ferguson and her team of Kristie Rogers and Rachel O’Connor with coach Pat Quilty knocked off defending champion Cally Moore of Lower Sackville, N.S., 5-2 in the semifinal. Team Ferguson finished round-robin play with a 3-1 record.
Ferguson lost her opener to Taylour Stevens of Halifax but beat Melodie Forsythe of Moncton, and Sarah McNeil
Lamswood of Stephenville, N.L., going on to defeat Marin Callaghan of Halifax 8-5 to qualify for the semis.
The Katie Shaw team, also from Cornwall, finished just out of the playoffs, with a 2-2 record, defeating second-place Cally Moore 6-3, and beating Kaylee Nodding of Bridgewater, but losing to first-place Mitchell and to Truro’s Allyson McNutt in qualifier-round action.
Stevens is 4-0, while the other three semifinalists are 3-1 going into championship round play.
On the junior men’s side, Cornwall’s Mitchell Schut rink finished the round-robin just out of the playoffs with a 2-2 record, losing their opener to Ethan Young of Halifax, but beating Ryan Strang and his Lower Sackville foursome, and Keith Langlois of Halifax, in their next two games.
The Schut squad lost their final qualifier round match to defending champ Graeme Weagel from Halifax.
Weagle went on to repeat as event champion, with a 6-1 final score.
Meanwhile, the Tyler Smith rink went undefeated in the TSA Junior Cashspiel at The Thistle St. Andrews Curling Club in Saint John, N.B., this weekend.
They advanced to the finals Sunday morning and defeated Team Peasley of the Gage Golf and Curling Club in Oromocto, N.B., 10-3, after scoring six in the sixth end.